Primary Source Collections - Latin America - HIST 571: Latin American Ethnohistory

Published Primary Sources

In addition to the online sources below, MANY published accounts can be found in the library's collection. If you don't have a specific author/title, the following headings can be helpful in narrowing a search to primary sources

Early works to 1800 (usually applied to modern reprints of early works)
Limit a search in the CAT/Lionsearch/WorldCAT by publication date
The "Sources" subject heading is generally applied to collections of primary sources. can be combined with other headings, e.g. mexico history sources.

We have some (mostly British) newspapers and magazines published before 1800. See our Historical News Guide for options.

Penn State Databases

African Diaspora, 1860-Present This link opens in a new window
Documents relating to people of African descent with a focus on communities in the Caribbean, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and France.
"African Diaspora, 1860-Present allows scholars to discover the migrations, communities, and ideologies of the African Diaspora through the voices of people of African descent. With a focus on communities in the Caribbean, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and France, the collection includes never-before digitized primary source documents, including personal papers, organizational papers, journals, newsletters, court documents, letters, and ephemera."
Age of Exploration This link opens in a new window
Primary documents on European maritime exploration. Includes some early voyages to Latin America
Explore five centuries of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, conflict over territories and trade routes, and decades-long search and rescue attempts in this multi-archive collection dedicated to the history of exploration.
Brazilian and Portuguese History and Culture: Oliveira Lima Library, Pamphlets This link opens in a new window
Digitized pamphlets from the 19th and early 20th centuries and historical books from the 16th to the 20th century from the Oliveira Lima Library. Topics include Colonialism, Brazilian independence, Slavery and abolition, the Catholic Church, Indigenous peoples, Agriculture, Politics, and Brazilian and Portuguese literature. The bulk of the publications are in Portuguese.
Digitized pamphlets from the 19th and early 20th centuries and historical books from the 16th to the 20th century from the Oliveira Lima Library. Topics include Colonialism, Brazilian independence, Slavery and abolition, the Catholic Church, Indigenous peoples, Agriculture, Politics, and Brazilian and Portuguese literature. The bulk of the publications are in Portuguese.
Colonial Caribbean, 1624-1870 This link opens in a new window
Reports and documents relating to the territories under British colonial governance.
Colonial Caribbean makes available materials from 27 Colonial Office file classes from The National Archives, UK. Covering the history of the various territories under British colonial governance from 1624 to 1870, this extensive resource includes administrative documentation, trade and shipping records, minutes of council meetings, and details of plantation life, colonial settlement, imperial rivalries across the region, and the growing concern of absentee landlords.
Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
Works published in England up to 1700. Includes early accounts of Latin America
Early English Books Online contains over 125,000 titles listed in Pollard's and Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), and the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661). Coverage includes the first book printed in English by William Caxton and features works by Malory, Bacon, More, Erasmus, Boyle, Newton, and Galileo. Novels, prayer books, pamphlets, almanacs, calendars, and many other types of primary sources are included. The works are presented as images that can be viewed online or downloaded in PDF format for viewing off-line.
eHRAF Collection of Archaeology This link opens in a new window
Source material on a wide variety of cultures around the world, as well as a cultural summary and bibliography for each culture covered
The Human Relations Area Files are designed to facilitate the cross-cultural study of human society, culture, and behavior. Two HRAF databases are available: Ethnography Collection and Archaeology Collection. They provide full-text access to source material on a wide variety of cultures around the world, as well as a cultural summary and bibliography for each culture covered.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) This link opens in a new window
Works printed in the British Isles and in English throughout the world between 1701 and 1800
Full texts and images of over 180,000 titles and editions printed in the British Isles and the Americas between 1701 and 1800. Includes books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides and more.
The Guatemala Collection: Government and Church Documents for Sacatepéquez (1587-1991) This link opens in a new window
Documents sourced from the Archivo General de Centroamérica and the Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano “Francisco de Paula García Peláez” (formerly known as Archivo Eclesiástico de Guatemala) in Guatemala City. Includes correspondence, annual reports, statistics, letters, litigation, primarily organized by place, theme, and date.
Documents sourced from the Archivo General de Centroamérica and the Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano “Francisco de Paula García Peláez” (formerly known as Archivo Eclesiástico de Guatemala) in Guatemala City. Includes correspondence, annual reports, statistics, letters, litigation, primarily organized by place, theme, and chronology.
Medieval and Early Modern Studies This link opens in a new window
Most sources are British, but includes:
Spanish Historical Writing About the New World, 1493-1700: From the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University
This collection offers 82 significant works of history mainly written in Spanish about America before 1700, including on-the-spot narratives, lives of missionaries, ethnographic studies, and natural histories. It includes writings by explorers, conquistadors, missionaries, traders and scientists. Equally importantly, there are also works by mestizos and Native American writers.
"The breadth of sources provided within this collection is extraordinary, from sources concerning the Black Death to the Restoration of the English monarchy and the Glorious Revolution."
Mexico in History: Colonialism to Revolution This link opens in a new window
Primary documents from the Latin Americana collection at the Bancroft Library including Indigenous linguistic studies, church and mission documents, administrative and land records, and records of the Revolution
"Drawing from the world-class Latin Americana Collection at The Bancroft Library, Mexico in History explores over four centuries of Mexico's history, from the beginning of Spanish colonisation c.1500 up to the turbulent years of the Mexican Revolution. The documents within this extensive resource cover a wealth of research interests, including Indigenous linguistic studies, records of the Mexican Inquisition, church and mission documents and sermons, administrative and land records, and a variety of manuscript and photographic records of the Revolution."
Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice, 1490-2007 This link opens in a new window
Includes early accounts of slavery in the Americas and general accounts of the region.
Bringing together primary source documents from archives and libraries across the Atlantic world, this resource allows students and researchers to explore and compare unique material relating to the complex subjects of slavery, abolition and social justice. In addition to the primary source documents there is a wealth of useful secondary sources for research and teaching; including an interactive map, scholarly essays, tutorials, a visual sources gallery, chronology and bibliography.
Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive This link opens in a new window
Some content on slavery in the Caribbean and early descriptions of Latin America
A massive digital collection of 18th and 19th century documents; Pamphlets, Books, Correspondence, Newspapers, Legal Documents, Manuscripts, and other materials. Includes over 1 million pages of unpublished archival material produced by pro and anti-slavery organizations and individuals.
State Papers Online, 1509-1714 This link opens in a new window
Documents produced by or for the British Monarchs, including reports from foreign officials and correspondence with other European monarchs.
State Papers Online, 1509-1714 contains more than 3 million pages of documents; correspondence, reports, memoranda, Parliamentary drafts and depositions from ambassadors, civil servants and provincial administrators serving the Monarch. The digital facsimile manuscripts are linked to searchable Calendar entries (abstracts or transcriptions of the originals). This collection contains information on every facet of English government, including social and economic affairs, law and order, religious policy, and crown possessions. There is also substantial information on Britain's international relations and foreign policy including correspondence with the monarchs of Europe, intelligence reports from agents abroad, and relations with the Vatican.
World Scholar: Latin America and the Caribbean This link opens in a new window
A digital collection of primary documents including early monographs, pamphlets, letters, expedition records, journals, reports, maps, diaries, and descriptions of voyages. Most collections are only partially keyword searchable. Browse to see the full contents.
Historical Collections include:
Conquistadors: The Struggle for Colonial Power in Latin America, 1492-1825.
Latin American History and Culture: An Archival Record. Parts 1-7 - Colonial manuscripts, rare volumes and documents.
A digital collection of primary documents from the colonial period to the present, including early monographs, pamphlets, letters, expedition records, journals, reports, maps, diaries, descriptions of voyages, and newspaper accounts. Historical collections include: Bauza Maps and Manuscripts Collection; Brazil's Popular Groups, 1966-1986; Conquistadors: The Struggle for Colonial Power in Latin America, 1492-1825; The Yale University Collection of Latin American Manuscripts, Parts 1-7; Latin American and Iberian biographies; Mexican and Central American Political and Social Ephemera; Papers of Agustin de Iturbide, 1799-1880; Records of the U.S. State Dept.

Caribbean documents collection, 1699-1959, bulk, 1760-1930
Manuscripts from the University of Miami, containing correspondence and other documents from Caribbean islands, such as Jamaica, Barbados, Tobago, and Cuba. Offers details about day-to-day life on plantations.
Colección de documentos inéditos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y organización de las antiguas posesiones españolas de América y Oceanía : sacados de los Archivos del Reino, y muy especialmente del de Indias
The documents published in these 42 volumes (1864-1884), were selected by a team of Spanish historians from the Patronato Real group of the AGI. The transcribed versions of the original manuscripts include correspondence between Spanish monarchs and many of the major figures of the early European contact with the Americas.
Also available online via the World Scholar: Latin America and the Caribbean database and in print.
Colección de documentos inéditos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y organización de las antiguas posesiones españolas de ultramar
The documents and indexes published in this 25 volume collection were selected by a team of Spanish historians as representative of their country's history in the Americas. Drawn from various sections of the Archivo General de Indias (Sevilla) and the Real Academia de la Historia (Madrid), the volumes transcribe a variety of documentary forms treating the establishment of the Spanish empire in the Caribbean and North and South America.
History Vault: Bexar Archives: Colonial Archives of Texas during the Spanish and Mexican Periods, 1717-1836
Official documents detailing the military, civilian, and political life of the Spanish province of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahuila y Texas.
Jamaica manuscripts collection, 1774-1950
20 documents, Including plantation records, correspondence, journals, and official documents. Some of these are originals, where others are later 20th century documents about Jamaica or typescripts of letters. Part of the Slavery and Anti-Slavery database.
Records of the Spanish governors of Puerto Rico: registro central de esclavos, 1872 (slave schedules)
Information gathered in 1872 in the Central Register of Slaves. For each enslaved person, the following was recorded: name, country of origin, present residence, names of parents, sex, marital status, trade, age, physical description, master's name.
Part of the Slavery and Anti-slavery database
Selected records of the Danish West Indies, 1672-1917: essential records concerning slavery and emancipation
Part of the Slavery and anti-slavery database.
Includes deeds of ownership and lists of enslavers; manumission papers and registers of freed people; and census lists.

Microfilm Resources

Archivo General de Centro America, 1544-1821

The most comprehensive collection of historical records spanning the period of Spanish rule in the Americas. The holdings of the Archivo include documents covering cultural, legislative, judicial, fiscal, economic, religious, military, agricultural and commercial matters pertaining to the Kingdom of Guatemala, an area which, from the time of the Conquest in 1544 through 1821, embraced modern-day Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Mexican State of Chiapas.
The finding aid linked from the catalog record provides a searchable inventory of the contents.
Penn State has reels 1B-3B, Yucatan, reels 3B-199B, Chiapas, reels 200B-577B, El Salvador, and reels 1853-2531, Guatemala Real Hacienda.
Archivo notarial del estado, 1689-1831 (microfilm)

Includes records of property and land sales, wills, testaments, powers of attorney and other related business records for Yucatán.
Penn State has 52 reels of a much larger collection. The print guide describes the full collection. Materials we don't own can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.
https://catalog.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/896240
Africans in the New World, 1493-1834 : from the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University (microfilm)
Documents created by a variety of actors including slave merchants, plantation owners, merchants, ship captains, slaves and abolitionists.
Colonial-Hispanic legal documents (microfilm)

18th and 19th cent. legal documents from Peru, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Colombia.
Some of the documents are online via the Library of Congress, Spanish Legal Documents (15th-19th Centuries), https://www.loc.gov/collections/spanish-legal-documents-15th-to-19th-centuries/about-this-collection/?loclr=bloglaw
Colonial Latin American manuscripts and transcripts in the Obadiah Rich collection (microfilm)

Documents related to the Spanish "discovery" and conquest of Latin America. Over hald of the collection deals with the sixteenth century with other materials spanning the sixteenth through the early 19th century.
A description of the original archival collection here, https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/richcoll.pdf
A guide to the organization of the microfilm collection here, https://microformguides.gale.com/3011000
Manuscripts on Middle American Cultural Anthropology
A digital collection of field notes and other unpublished materials in the filed of cultural anthropology. Started in the 1940s, the collection initially focused on Mesoamerican languages, but broadened the subject scope over its 48 years. Penn State has some manuscripts on microfilm, with additional collection materials not digitized available from the Center for Research Libraries.